Informed consent for telehealth: what to get and how to document it

Informed consent for telehealth is the same informed consent you already obtain — plus a short, explicit acknowledgement that a remote consultation has limitations the patient understands and accepts. In most cases verbal consent is enough, but you do need to record that you obtained it.

Here’s what to cover, how to phrase it, and what to write down. This is general information, not legal advice. If you want a ready-made form, download our free telehealth consent form template in Word or PDF.

What telehealth consent actually covers

There are really two layers of consent in a telehealth consult.

The first is consent to the consultation format — the patient agreeing to be seen by phone or video rather than in person, knowing what that means. The RACGP is specific here: obtain verbal informed consent to proceed with a telephone or video consultation, and document that consent (RACGP).

The second is your usual clinical consent for whatever you then do — examinations the patient performs on themselves at your direction, investigations, treatment, prescribing, referrals. The Medical Board’s position is that you apply the usual principles for obtaining informed consent in a telehealth consult, and protect the patient’s rights to privacy and confidentiality (Medical Board of Australia). Telehealth adds the first layer; it doesn’t remove the second.

What to explain to the patient

For consent to the format to be genuinely informed, the patient should understand what telehealth can and can’t do. Avant frames the practical task as explaining the limitations of telehealth compared with an in-person appointment, then confirming and documenting consent (Avant). MDA National’s toolkit sets out the ground to cover: the reasons and benefits of telehealth for this consult, how the process works, that it differs from an in-person visit with a limited ability to examine, the technology requirements, any privacy limitations, and any costs (MDA National).

In plain terms, make sure the patient knows:

• The limits of a remote assessment — you can’t physically examine them, and some things may need an in-person review.
• That you may need to convert to face-to-face if the problem turns out to need hands-on assessment, and that this is always an option for them too.
• How the technology works and its privacy setting — that they should be somewhere private, and who (if anyone) else is present on your end.
• Any cost — whether the consult is bulk billed or attracts a fee.

Consent isn’t a box you tick at the booking stage and forget. The most important moment is the start of the consult, when the patient can see how it’s actually going to work — that’s when “are you happy to go ahead by video?” carries real meaning.

Verbal consent is usually enough — but document it

For a routine telehealth consult, verbal consent is generally sufficient. What matters medico-legally is not a signed form but a clear contemporaneous note that consent was discussed and given. Both the RACGP and the medical defence organisations land in the same place: obtain it verbally, then document it (RACGP).

A short standing line in your note does the job — for example, that the consult was conducted by video, the patient consented to telehealth after its limitations were explained, and consent was given for the specific management undertaken. Our guide to telehealth documentation covers the note-keeping side in full.

There are situations where you may want something more than a verbal note — for instance, higher-risk management, or an ongoing telehealth arrangement where a written information sheet and recorded consent are sensible. Use judgement, and follow any specific requirements of your indemnity provider or your service. The general rule holds, though: for routine consults, a clear contemporaneous note is the standard, not a signature.

Consent when others are present

Telehealth makes it easy for third parties to join — a carer, a family member, an interpreter — sometimes off-camera. Confirm who else is present on both ends, and where someone other than the patient is participating, get and document the patient’s explicit consent for them to be there (RACGP). It’s also good practice to check, tactfully, that no one is present who shouldn’t be — coercion is harder to detect on a screen.

Consent and recording

Most consults should not be recorded at all, and a platform that never records by default keeps this simple. If a consultation is going to be recorded for any reason, the Medical Board expects consent from all participants to that recording (Medical Board of Australia). This is one reason many clinics deliberately choose tools that don’t record — MedCall, for instance, is never records and is Australian-hosted, which removes the question entirely for standard consults.

Special situations

A few scenarios need extra care:

• Children and young people — confirm who has authority to consent, and assess Gillick competence where relevant, just as you would in person.
• Capacity — telehealth can make capacity harder to assess; if you have doubts, that itself may be a reason to see the patient in person.
• Interpreters — arrange a professional interpreter where needed, and document their involvement and the patient’s consent to it.
• Language and health literacy — check understanding by asking the patient to tell the plan back to you, rather than assuming a nod on video means comprehension.

A simple approach that works

You don’t need a script, but a consistent pattern helps. Early in the consult: confirm identity and location, note who else is present, confirm the patient is happy to proceed by telehealth knowing its limits, and mention that you’ll suggest an in-person review if needed. Then move into the clinical consultation and take usual consent for what you do. Write it up in a line or two. That covers both layers without slowing anything down.

The bottom line

Informed consent for telehealth is your normal consent plus a brief, explicit agreement to the remote format and its limitations. Explain what telehealth can’t do, confirm the patient is comfortable proceeding, handle third parties and recording properly, and document that consent was obtained. It takes seconds and it’s one of the cheapest forms of medico-legal protection you have. For the college’s wording, see the RACGP’s principles for conducting telehealth consultations, and check your own indemnity provider’s telehealth resources.